Health News

Know Thy Neighbor… and His Parents
Teenagers' parents can make a difference in whether their kids drink, smoke or use marijuana, based on past research. But the parents of teens' friends play a part too.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
What’s the best way to teach kids how to become responsible drinkers in adulthood?  Have the family and environment be a good, consistent example.
Mental Health, Drinking & Smoking
Do people with mental health disorders take more risks than everyone else? Would early diagnosis and treatment prevent risk taking behavior and bad outcomes?
Teens Do More Drugs During Summer Break
The summer months are a time for rest and relaxation. For some teens though, they can also be a time for risk taking and substance abuse.
Quitlines for Smoking Can Help With Drinking
Smoking 'quitlines' are a cost-effective, easy to access tool to help people quit smoking.  Researchers are proposing that quitlines can also help smokers with hazardous drinking habits as well.
American vs. EU = It's a Draw
Ready for some good news about teenagers and smoking and drinking? Kids in the U.S. are doing less of both than their peers across the pond.
Why Do Pregnant Women Light Up
Despite the disturbing images being added to cigarette packs and the Surgeon General's warnings against smoking while pregnant, some women are lighting up while pregnant anyway.
Chantix May Also Help With Drinking Problems
It might be possible to block pleasure receptors for both smoking and drinking with one pharmaceutical swoop. Heavy drinkers report drinking less alcohol after taking the anti-smoking drug— Chantix . Researchers took a drug already out on the market for smoking cessation and tried it on smokers who also drink heavily. The reduction in drinking was quite promising. Talk to your doctor if you think you have a drinking problem Jennifer Mitchell PhD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of California at San Francisco, led a study to understand the smoking cessation d...
Kids Say Maybe to Alcohol and Cigarettes
Tweens , or children aged 10-12, are among the most impressionable age groups, and currently they are decidedly ambivalent towards cigarettes and alcohol. What can be done to change their minds?
Alcohol While Pregnant is Worse Than Cocaine or Pot
Children exposed to as little as half an alcoholic drink a day in utero - even if they didn't have fetal alcohol syndrome - appeared to suffer in their achievement test scores.